The separation of hydrocarbons, organic materials, suspended solids and inorganic materials from a fluid solution has been practiced for many generations. Many of these practices include, but are not limited to:
applied heat or pressure or both; PA1 addition of chemicals to oxidize, reduce and neutralize electrical unbalance; PA1 addition of emulsion breakers; PA1 use of centrifugal forces; PA1 flocculating; PA1 filtrating; PA1 and similar processes. PA1 heat driven chemical reactions; PA1 relatively long processing times; PA1 complicated and costly equipment; PA1 high energy consumption; PA1 complicated operating procedures; PA1 limited versatility; PA1 require extensive maintenance; PA1 short useful lifetimes; or PA1 high cost per volume processed.
These previously used or proposed processes suffer from one or more of the following disadvantages:
In general, it would be desirable to have separation methods and apparatus which can easily and efficiently separate different materials with a minimum of processing time. It would also be desirable to provide a method which is economical in operation and requires a minimum amount of fixed equipment.